Cointreau Blondies

Total Time: 24 hrs 40 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 24 hrs

Ingredients

• 16 ounces chocolate, baking bars (2 8-oz. bars, broken into 1 inch pieces)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cointreau liqueur
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons fresh orange zest
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup dried apricot, chopped
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
• 10 ounces chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup cream
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons cointreau liqueur
• 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°f.
• 2 line a 9 inch square baking pan with waxed paper, then grease the paper.
• 3 melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler over hot, but not boiling water.
• 4 stir mixture occasionally until smooth. set aside.
• 5 in a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until foamy.
• 6 add sugar, cointreau, vanilla extract, orange zest, melted chocolate and butter slowly.
• 7 fold in flour, salt, dried apricots, chocolate chips and macadamia nuts until well combined.
• 8 spoon mixture into the prepared pan.
• 9 bake 25 minutes.
• 10 cool bars in pan.
• 11 icing:.
• 12 melt all ingredients in a double boiler and mix well until smooth.
• 13 pour over the bars in the pan.
• 14 refrigerate overnight so that the icing will solidify.
• 15 using the wax paper as an aid, lift the bars from the pan.
• 16 use the blade of a pastry scraper or a knife to cut the bars into small squares or triangles.
• 17 these are best served at room temperature.